With the Cannes vs. Netflix debate in full swing, we’re starting to hear from filmmakers that were caught in the crossfire. Yesterday, we reported that Orson Welles’ daughter, Beatrice, had written an email to Netflix, asking the streaming service to reconsider their Cannes ban. One of the other filmmakers involved is Jeremy Saulnier, whose “Hold the Dark” was a strong contender to be included in the festival.
Saulnier, who is best known for his films “Green Room” and “Blue Ruin,” was recently asked by IndieWire what he thought of the Netflix/Cannes debacle, and he said it was a “shame.” He continued, “I respect Netflix for carving new paths that bypass traditional methods of distribution to directly connect with a humungous audience. But both entities are evolving, and I think eventually they’ll work out their differences.” However, the filmmaker took that opportunity to get the what he thinks is the real issue at play – what constitutes a film.
There are people like Steven Spielberg who believe that a film released outside of a theater is a “TV movie.” And with Cannes’ rule about French distribution, the implication is that if a film doesn’t screen in a theater, then it’s not a true film. Well, Saulnier has some strong thoughts on that.
“With new distribution platforms and release strategies on the rise, I hear a lot of volleying back and forth in the trades as to what constitutes a movie,” Saulnier said. “I’ll happily stay out of that debate as long as I can keep telling narrative stories with other people’s money. Oscar versus Emmy? Not concerned.”
“But if anyone tries to tell me any of my modest movies aren’t actually movies they can kindly go stab themselves in the face several times and set themselves on fire,” concluded the filmmaker.
The times are changing, and it appears that Saulnier, and many other filmmakers, are willing to sacrifice a traditional release strategy for the creative freedom and opportunity that streaming services like Netflix offer. He’s right. Eventually, Cannes and Netflix will figure it out and in the future, there’s no doubt we’ll see more Netflix films at the film festival.
But we definitely don’t recommend telling Saulnier that he makes “TV movies.”
“Hold the Dark” should be released on Netflix sometime in the fall.